Month: March 2022

1974 was my fifth grade year in school and represented the only year that I had Dad as my principal. Having a parent that’s a teacher has an extra pressure on you as a student not be a screwup. The pressure gets worse when your parent is a teacher in your building. Fortunately, I never had a parent in my building, but my older son had both of his parents in the middle school building during his eighth grade year. Basically, he ignored me unless he needed money. But, when your dad is the principal of your school, that’s not always the coolest. Now, my boys had their grandfather as their principal, but that’s different. Essentially, they loved having Grandpa as their principal. But, your dad is a whole other level.

I remember early on in fifth grade, I got sent out in the hall because I was not paying attention to a math lesson. How I rolled in school was to pay attention long enough to get the gist of the lesson, do the homework and either read, or if my ADHD was kicked in full force, begin entertaining the class with stupid comments. So, I was standing in the hall when lo and behold the new principal of our school, known to everyone as Mr. Keller better known as Dad to me, walked up to me and asked what I was doing out in the hall? Since I thought I was talking to Dad and not Mr. Keller, I smartly replied, “I have no idea.”

Well, that answer did not fly. Immediately, Mr. Keller pointed in the direction of his office. So, I knew immediately that this was not going to go well. I made that long walk of shame to his office as we silently strolled to his office. As we walked in the office, his secretary Mrs. Hanna greeted me friendly with as “Hi Scott!” Unfortunately, her smile quickly faded as Mr. Keller led me into his office, offered me a chair, told me to “sit down,” closed the door to his office (always a bad sign), and took his seat behind his desk.

Then, he opened, “Scott, what are you thinking?”

“Well, Dad, I was just…”

“No! You listen. You cannot behave this way. I know that you are in an unfair situation, but you have to keep yourself uncontrol. I do not need you and your brother in this office because you cannot use self-control.” I really don’t remember much else he said, but I thought the point had been made, but he continued for a good five minutes since I kept glancing at the clock on his desk.

Finally, I heard that words, “I want you to go back to class and apologize to the teacher. Then, I do not want to walk by your classroom and see you in the hallway. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” head down dejected.

“Now, go on. But, remember, your father will want to talk to you when he gets home.”

I wanted to point out that Americans could not be subjected to double jeopardy in this country, but I knew not to push it. That’s what made being a teacher’s kid so bad since you constantly got in trouble twice a day for one infraction.

Fortunately, I did discover that a local radio station did play American Top 40 every Sunday at 10 AM. I made that discovery during the summer of 1974 during another one of my escapades. But, it was a life-altering find nonetheless. Now, I was gathering information about music history from AT40, American Bandstand and Soul Train each and every weekend.

Now, my popular music knowledge was increasing on a weekly basis thanks to Casey Kasem, Dick Clark and Don Cornelius. Yet, I was still about six months from discovering rock magazines and books which would be the final frontier. Since I had no older siblings to help me learn this stuff, I was on my own, which may account for my appreciation of artists whom my peers might view as cheesy. I make no apologies for liking what I like.

So, let’s take a look at my favorite albums of 1974.

50. Bad Company – Bad Company

49. Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard

48. Richard & Linda Thompson – I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

47. Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)

46. Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘)

45. Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson – Winter in America

44. John Lennon – Walls & Bridges

43. Commodores – Machine Gun

42. Neil Young – On the Beach

41. Van Morrison – Veedon Fleece

40. Ohio Players – Skin Tight

39. Little Feat – Feats Don’t Fail Me Now

38. Gram Parsons – Grievous Angel

37. Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

36. Queen – Queen II

35. The Doobie Brothers – What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits

34. Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic

33. The Meters – Rejuvenation

32. B.T. Express – Do It Til You’re Satisfied

31. Funkadelic – Standing on the Verge of Getting Down

30. Supertramp – Crime of the Century

29. Ohio Players – Fire

28. Aerosmith – Get Your Wings

27. Sparks – Kimono My House

26. Kraftwerk – Autobahn

25. Elton John – Caribou

24. Parliament – Up for the Down Stroke

23. Bachman Turner Overdrive – Not Fragile

22. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Natty Dread

21. Rufus featuring Chaka Khan – Rufusized

20. Jackson Browne – Late for the Sky

19. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping

18. Kiss – Kiss

17. The J. Geils Band – Nightmares…and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle

16. Labelle – Nightbirds

15. Barry White – Can’t Get Enough

14. Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark

13. The Rolling Stones – It’s Only Rock and Roll

12. Shuggie Otis – Inspiration Information

11. Rufus featuring Chaka Khan – Rags to Rufus

10. Raspberries – Starting Over

9. Linda Ronstadt – Heart Like a Wheel

8. Bob Dylan/The Band – Before the Flood

7. Randy Newman – Good Old Boys

6. Roxy Music – Country Life

5. Electric Light Orchestra – Eldorado

4. Queen – Sheer Heart Attack

3. Van Morrison – It’s Too Late to Stop Now

2. Stevie Wonder – Fulfillingness’ First Finale

1. Big Star – Radio City

1973 was a year during which I ended third grade and started fourth grade. Between those two school years were a summer of baseball and basketball, watching pro wrestling on a local TV station on Saturdays, watching game shows during rainy days, and the beginnings of my lingering interest in the whole Watergate debacle. It continues to interest me how one paranoid person in the highest position of power in our country can nearly topple the government built on a federalist democracy. Say what you want, at least Nixon put the country’s interests above his own one time when he resigned. We have yet been witness to moments of humility in the words and actions of current former President 45 and Russian leader Putin. Both appear to be willing to take down their whole country’s way of governing and well-being to appease their own egos.

1973 also represents the year in which I began to transition from a man who purchased 7-inch singles to one who preferred albums. This was the year in which I actually bought Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper with my own money. Buddy, you know how many weeks it takes to save your 50-cent allowance to afford a four-dollar album? Let’s say I began this quest shortly after my birthday and worked my way through April to earn this album. But, I was determined. And, did that album ever pay off for me? Not only did it open another dimension of music for me, the inner gatefold of the album contained photos of the band in concert, of which I knew my parents would disapprove. After this album, I was primed for everything that was to cross my path afterwards, from the New York Dolls, Sex Pistols and Marilyn Manson to the P-Funk Thang, David Bowie and Culture Club.

1973 was also the year in which The Dark Side of the Moon entered my consciousness, although it would be seven or eight more years before that album would join my album collection. Additionally, unbeknownst me at the time, Bruce Springsteen released his first two albums. In reality, I was still two years away from hearing The Boss’ music and another three years away from the purchase of one of his albums, 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town.

This year was also significant because Daryl Hall & John Oates’ sophomore release was a brilliant album that would go unnoticed until 1976, after “Sarah Smile” ran its course. On the other hand, Elton John was at his creative and commercial zenith just as Stevie Wonder was on the cusp of his.

All in all, 1973 was a fairly solid year, with many of the artists who would go on to dominate my musical interest and collection becoming forces unto themselves. It really wasn’t a bad year for a musical awakening in a boy.

With that said, let’s do this countdown!

50. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery

49. Lou Reed – Berlin

48. Brian Eno – Here Come the Warm Jets

47. Jackson Browne – For Everyman

46. Eagles – Desperado

45. Bachman Turner Overdrive – Bachman Turner Overdrive II

44. Genesis – Selling England by the Pound

43. Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

42. The Doobie Brothers – The Captain and Me

41. The J. Geils Band – Bloodshot

40. Al Green – Call Me

39. ZZ Top – Tres Hombres

38. Roberta Flack – Killing Me Softly

37. Neil Young – Time Fades Away

36. Little Feat – Dixie Chicken

35. The Spinners – Spinners

34. Grand Funk Railroad – We’re an American Band

33. The O’Jays – Ship Ahoy

32. John Lennon – Mind Games

31. Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy

30. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Catch a Fire

29. Todd Rundgren – A Wizard, a True Star

28. Raspberries – Side 3

27. George Harrison – Living in the Material World

26. Ringo Starr – Ringo

25. Aerosmith – Aerosmith

24. Gram Parsons – GP

23. Bruce Springsteen – Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

22. Elton John – Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player

21. The Rolling Stones – Goats Head Soup

20. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced lêh-nérd skin-nérd

19. Queen – Queen

18. Billy Joel – Piano Man

17. New York Dolls – New York Dolls

16. Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy

15. Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure

14. David Bowie – Aladdin Sane

13. The Isley Brothers – 3 + 3

12. Paul Simon – There Goes Rhymin’ Simon

11. Iggy & the Stooges – Raw Power

10. Roxy Music – Stranded

9. Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run

8. The Who – Quadrophenia

7. Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies

6. Stevie Wonder – Innervisions

5. Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On

4. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

3. Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle

2. Daryl Hall & John Oates – Abandoned Luncheonette

1. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon

1972 was the year in which I finished one of my favorite grades in school, third grade. My teacher continues to be something of a saint in my book. She lives an active life in my town while we stay in touch via Facebook. Her name is Nancy Dix, and she was the correct combination of compassion and toughness that I always craved in educators. Unfortunately, as educators, we will never reach all of our students, but it seems that the students we connect with we end up sharing a special life-long bond.

Mrs. Dix was the first person I remember who encouraged me to embrace all of my quirky sides as my true self. When your peers think you are weird, it makes a young person’s life a little rough. But, when there is an adult who understands you, the world opens up. It’s a shame that I had to wait another four years having another educator who view me through a serious lens.

It was in 1972 that my music affliction began to take a serious turn. I discovered FM radio that year, which increased the colors on my musical palette thanks to the best radio station I ever heard in my life, 93.1 FM WNAP, “The Buzzard.” Their combination of deep rock cuts and Top 40 pop hits was innovative and ahead of its time. And, they had the best combination of on air personalities ever assembled, most of whom went on to bigger fame in bigger markets. Yet, all have stated that their best years were spent in “Naptown,” as Indy used to be called.

In addition to FM radio, my family became a regular presence at the local country club, which gave me access to the musical tastes of the high school kids of the upper middle class. Those tastes coupled with the tastes of my more working class neighbors gave me an interesting mix of great music of the day.

Growing up, I was always drawn to older people, especially those who were in high school while I was in elementary school. I found that I could learn so much from them about socialization. Plus, their experiences were so much better than my peers’ experiences. I don’t know how many days I sat in an inconspicuous place in a neighbor’s garage or family room while the older kids interacted, played music, smoked cigarettes and made out. These teens allowed this bratty kid to sort through their 45s and LPs while there, even occasionally letting do a stack of 45s on the record player.

Those fun, easy days are long gone. Still, they were an important part of my development as a man and a music aficionado. Therefore, those things mix together to make 1972 so special in my personal history.

And, now it’s time for a countdown.

50. Humble Pie – Smokin’

49. Neu! – Neu!

48. Deep Purple – Made in Japan

47. The Temptations – All Directions

46. Eagles – Eagles

45. T. Rex – The Slider

44. Little Feat – Sailin’ Shoes

43. The Doobie Brothers – Toulouse Street

42. Marvin Gaye – Trouble Man

41. Bread – Baby I’m-A Want You

40. Rod Stewart – Never a Dull Moment

39. Jim Croce – You Don’t Mess Around with Jim

38. The Staple Singers – Be Altitude: Respect Yourself

37. Al Green – I’m Still in Love with You

36. The Band – Rock of Ages

35. Aretha Franklin – Young, Gifted and Black

34. Yes – Close to the Edge

33. The O’Jays – Back Stabbers

32. Bill Withers – Still Bill

31. Curtis Mayfield – Superfly

30. The J. Geils Band – Live: Full House

29. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath, Vol. 4

28. Elton John – Honky Chateau

27. Van Morrison – Saint Dominic’s Preview

26. Slade – Slayed?

25. Al Green – Let’s Stay Together

24. Jackson Browne – Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using)

23. The Allman Brothers Band – Eat a Peach

22. Carly Simon – No Secrets

21. Stevie Wonder – Music of My Mind

20. War – The World Is a Ghetto

19. Jimmy Cliff (and Others) – The Harder They Come

18. Nick Drake – Pink Moon

17. Randy Newman – Sail Away

16. Mott the Hoople – All the Young Dudes

15. Lou Reed – Transformer

14. Roxy Music – Roxy Music

13. Deep Purple – Machine Head

12. Chicago – Chicago V

11. Alice Cooper – School’s Out

10. Raspberries – Fresh

9. Paul Simon – Paul Simon

8. Stevie Wonder – Talking Book

7. Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill

6. Raspberries – Raspberries

5. The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street

4. Neil Young – Harvest

3. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars

2. Todd Rundgren – Something/Anything?

1. Big Star – #1 Record

My dad is my hero. Plain and simple. I never had to look farther away from me than him. After he gave up coaching, a decision that left me heartbroken since he would never coach me in basketball, whenever our local high school did not have a game, Dad would take me to other schools’ games in order to scout for a coaching friend of his. Dad had been this man’s assistant coach before the man left for another coaching job, and Dad assumed his position as the head coach.

I loved these games more than going to the local school’s games because Dad would actually point out what coaches look for on the court. What may appear to be slightly organized chaos to the untrained eye is a work of art that teams the precision of a ballet dance with the strategy of a chess match. And when a team executes at a high level, the beauty of their game is magnificent. I guess I always knew that I would be a coach.

Even during the time that I was angry at him for leaving the family when I had just turned 13, I still admired him. During that estrangement, I despised that people thought my success was only due to him, as if I had no abilities of my own. But, when I started having a family of my own, I was determined to mend our broken relationship. To this day, we are the same yet so very different. He does not understand my politically liberal beliefs nor my artistic side, but he tries to relate. It’s hilarious when this Barbra Streisand-loving man tries to discuss a Simon & Garfunkel musical he saw, but I give him an “A” for his effort.

Back in 1971, I was just 8 years old. I think it was around this time that one of his former basketball players was assassinated in Vietnam by a sniper. I was distraught because I had spent many days at his parents’ home and knew the whole family. During this time of mourning, Dad asked me what I was thinking. I simply told him that it was a waste of John’s life to have been killed in Vietnam. Dad, a Korean War vet and former history teacher, asked me to explain. I told him that I thought this war was a waste of time since it was obvious that the Vietnamese people really no longer wanted our presence over there. Apparently, I elaborated that if South Vietnam truly wanted to win, then more of their people would be joining our forces to push back the North Vietnamese. Yet, that wasn’t happening. As a matter of fact, the opposite is happening as many civilians are playing both sides of the game in an effort to undermine our efforts over there.

I remember the conversation, not the specifics as he told me them, but I do remember the look of shock on his face that encapsulated disbelief of a youngster’s grasp on geopolitical history, a shock that I’d be anti-war at all let alone at a young age and a swelling of pride that his son could articulate such a stance at a young age. But, that was the environment in which I grew up. I was not shielded from the news (Walter Cronkite every night!), 60 Minutes, and a small but solid set of political books in his little “library,” all of which I had read before he left the house.

1971 was the year when my parents allowed me to start buying 7-inch singles. My first informed purchase was Paul & Linda McCartney’s “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.” From there, my collection has exploded. When compared to all of my friends, I have the biggest collection. But, when placed in the context of vinyl collectors, my collection is quite modest as I have around 2500 vinyl albums, 10″ EPs, 7″ singles, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes and CDs.

Since my failed back syndrome and the subsequent back pain and constant back spasms came into my life over 20 years ago, I have shifted the refuge of my sanity from the exercising of a former athlete to a sedentary music aficionado. Oh, sure, I have always been a music aficionado of a high level, but, now, I have taken it to a whole new level. Oh well, what am I supposed to do to survive?

After that non-sequitur opening, let’s get to the countdown. Here’s my favorite 50 albums of 1971.

50. George Harrison & Friends – The Concert for Bangladesh

49. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Tarkus

48. Yes – The Yes Album

47. Crosby, Still, Nash & Young – 4 Way Street

46. Three Dog Night – Harmony

45. Can – Tago Mago

44. Pink Floyd – Meddle

43. Al Green – Al Green Gets Next to You

42. The Doors – L.A. Woman

41. The Stylistics – The Stylistics

40. Black Sabbath – Master of Reality

39. Gil Scott-Heron – Pieces of a Man

38. Rod Stewart – Every Picture Tells a Story

37. The Faces – A Nod Is As Good As a Wink…to a Blind Horse

36. Traffic – Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

35. The Kinks – Muswell Hillbillies

34. Elton John – Madman Across the Water

33. Alice Cooper – Love It to Death

32.  The J. Geils Band – The Morning After

31. The Allman Brothers – At Fillmore East

30. The Chi-Lites – (For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People

29. Jethro Tull – Aqualung

28. Issacs Hayes – Shaft

27. Santana – Santana III

26. Janis Joplin – Pearl

25. Nilsson – Nilsson Schmilsson

24. Badfinger – Straight Up

23. America – America

22. The Flamin’ Groovies – Teenage Head

21. John Prine – John Prine

20. Don McLean – American Pie

19. Van Morrison – Tupelo Honey

18. David Bowie – Hunky Dory

17. Yes – Fragile

16. T. Rex – Electric Warrior

15. Cat Stevens – Teaser and the Firecat

14. Alice Cooper – Killer

13. The Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

12. Funkadelic – Maggot Brain

11. Sly & the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On

10. Joni Mitchell – Blue

9. Todd Rundgren – Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren

8. Paul & Linda McCartney – Ram

7. John Lennon – Imagine

6. Bill Withers – Just As I Am

5. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV

4. The Who – Who’s Next

3. Carole King – Tapestry

2. The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers

1. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On

To be perfectly honest, from my earliest memories of a toddler, I loved to listen to music. From my toddler days hearing Mom listening to the latest hits by the likes of Paul Revere & the Raiders on the radio to watching the old Ed Sullivan, Smothers Brothers and other variety television shows with the latest rock and pop artists. My personal journey began with a little plastic record player on which I could listen to children’s versions of Broadway tunes at 45 rpm. If a record skipped, my parents would just tape a penny or two to the end of the tone arm just over the needle.

By the time we finally moved into the home in which Mom lived until she passed in February of 2019, I began to learn about music from all the neighborhood kids. By the time I started kindergarten, I was beginning to piece together the foundation of my musical tastes, with it running the gamut from Motown, Stax and other soul/R&B music, bubblegum music, some psychedelic music, some “acid” or hard rock and Top 40 music, though I was still a good four years away from discovering Casey Kasem’s radio program, American Top 40. These were the days of 1968 and 1969.

However, the whole musical world still had not completely opened to me until the 1969-70 school. That school year was my opening salvo in the public education system. But, it also represented the one area for massive information growth. In today’s world of the internet, this seems quaint, but when a kid in the Seventies begins to ride the school bus, a whole new world opens. Suddenly, all the things that my parents started to shield me from were now in my face. Oh, the cuss words were nothing new to me, what with my maternal grandfather, my maternal uncle and my own father’s language, in addition to spending so much of my life in and out of high school locker rooms. But magical topics like sex and music began to enter my peer-oriented discussions. Oh, certainly, I continued my sports and science obsessions, but they were nowhere as exciting as sex and music.

It was on the school bus where much of my education took place. I learned that the “F-word” just may be the most versatile word in the English language as it can be used as a verb, noun, adjective, adverb, interjection, and just about any part of speech other than a preposition. Additionally, I learned to discern certain desirable physical attributes of the female anatomy, how to and not to talk to a woman (though, in all honesty, these all represented very bad advice) and what was considered good and bad music. But, with music, I quickly out-learned my peers on music upon the discoveries of Creem, Hit Parader, Circus and  Rolling Stone magazines in middle school, once again thanks to another kid on the school bus.

So, 1970 is the year when I began to experience music in real time. Sure, I admit that I actually did some catching up in regards to my critical tastes, but the foundation was being laid. Prior to 1970, I did not know that the FM band on a radio existed, that Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones or The Beatles were gods, or what on Earth was Woodstock, let alone the Monterrey Pop Festival or Altamont. Therefore, for me, the music of the Sixties remains something more of a prehistoric venture for me.

Unfortunately, most people’s musical wheelhouse either ends with their high school or college days, which coincides with one leaving behind the irresponsible days and beginning to hold down jobs and starting families. For whatever reason, my musical interest really did not begin to wain until my boys were in middle school, which meant they were developing their own musical tastes and no longer relying on my opinions. Suddenly, by the mid-Nineties, popular music began to loose many of the qualities in which I found enjoyment. Subsequently, music became more of an academic pursuit and no longer a celebration of my youth.

All of this means that my wheelhouse for music runs from 1970 through 1999, though I did find that I pushed an extra five years out of my comfort zone thanks to my students at Alexandria Monroe High School, where I had my first teaching job after my career change, and my boys.

To celebrate this 30-year window into my musical tastes, let’s count down my 50 favorite albums from each year, beginning with 1970, the end of my first grade year, through 1999, on the cusp of a new millennium.

50. Free – Fire and Water

49. The Doors – Morrison Hotel

48. Various Artists – Woodstock OST

47. Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die

46. Funkadelic – Funkadelic

45. Tim Buckley – Starsailor

44. Rodriguez – Cold Fact

43. The Flying Burrito Brothers – Burrito Deluxe

42. The Temptations – Psychedelic Shack

41. Jimi Hendrix – Band of Gypsys

40. Curtis Mayfield – Curtis

39. The Velvet Underground – Loaded

38. Joe Cocker – Mad Dogs and Englishmen

37. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory

36. Santana – Abraxas

35. The Rolling Stones – ‘Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!’: The Rolling Stones in Concert

34. The Who – Live at Leeds

33. The Move – Shazam

32. The Guess Who – American Woman

31. The Jackson 5 – ABC

30. David Bowie – The Man Who Sold the World

29. The J. Geils Band – The J. Geils Band

28. James Taylor – Sweet Baby James

27. Nick Drake – Bryter Layter

26. Syd Barrett – The Madcap Laughs

25. The Kinks – Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One

24. The Band – Stage Fright

23. Badfinger – No Dice

22. Randy Newman – 12 Songs

21. Funkadelic – Free Your Mind…and Your Ass Will Follow

20. The Beatles – Let It Be

19. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin III

18. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

17. Van Morrison – His Band and the Street Choir

16. Derek & the Dominos – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

15. Emitt Rhodes – Emitt Rhodes

14. Black Sabbath – Paranoid

13. Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection

12. Neil Young – After the Gold Rush

11. The Stooges – Fun House

10. Grateful Dead – Workingman’s Dead

9. Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman

8. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

7. Van Morrison – Moondance

6. George Harrison – All Things Must Pass

5. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Dèjá Vu

4. Elton John – Elton John

3. Grateful Dead – American Beauty

2. Chicago – Chicago II

1. Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water